Here
we are on the fast track to dictatorial world government.
Small
countries like New Zealand are likely to have to sign while
relinquishing any national interests (such as dairy acces) to the
interests of Empire
Senate
puts Obama on fast-track to TPP
RT,
25
June, 2015
With
a 60-38 vote, the Senate adopted the law giving President Obama the
power to “fast-track” talks on free-trade pacts such as the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) after months of fierce debate in both
houses of the Congress.
Trade
Promotion Authority (TPA), as the measure is called, means that
Congress will only get to vote up or down on the treaties in question
once they are finalized by the White House, without the ability to
offer amendments.
Obama
has faced strong opposition from his own Democratic Party, with
prominent lawmakers such as Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie
Sanders (I-Vermont) in the Senate and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the
House breaking ranks to speak and vote against the measure.
Meanwhile,
Republican lawmakers that usually oppose Obama at every turn by and
large backed the president on the issue, though with some notable
exceptions. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), one of the contenders for the
Republican presidential nomination, voted against closing the debate
on TAP on Tuesday.
After
the measure barely squeaked by with 60 votes in favor, Senator Jeff
Sessions (R-Alabama) accused the US government of not serving the
needs of its citizens, saying the White House “broke
arms and heads”
to scrape up the required majority.
“When
ordinary Americans who never asked for the plan, who don’t want the
plan, who want no part of the plan, resist, they are scorned, mocked,
and heaped with condescension,”
Sessions said in a statement.
“It
is remarkable that so much energy has been expended on advancing the
things Americans oppose, and preventing the things Americans want.”
Opposition
by the Democrats meant a rocky road for the TPA in Congress. After
losing thefirst
procedural vote on
May 12, the measure ended up passing the
Senate on May 23. The House approved fast-track
powers on June 12, but struck down the companion measure without
which the proposal could not move forward – only to approve
a standalone fast-track
bill on June 18.
House
Democrats tried to hold TPA hostage by refusing to back Trade
Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a program giving government aid to
workers who lost their jobs as a consequence of free-trade deals.
With the TPA’s passage, continued opposition to TAA made no sense.
Pelosi, leader of the Democrats in the House, signaled she would back
the bill when it came up for a vote later this week.
"TAA
was being used as a bargaining chip for TPA, and that's why we very
much resisted,"
Sandy Levin (D-Michigan) told reporters on Wednesday after a meeting
of the Democratic Caucus.
Some
Democrats were displeased that the Republican leadership in the House
packaged the TAA with the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA),
but the caucus decided that opposing the measures would send the
wrong message.
"It's
disgusting that they were attached, but we have to play the hand we
were dealt,”
said G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), chairman of the Congressional Black
Caucus, adding he will vote in favor of the bill.
JUST IN: Pelosi endorses TAA after blocking it last week to sink fast-track billhttp://t.co/t9bh3jgMJM pic.twitter.com/EXSQRsV98C— The Hill (@thehill) June 24, 2015
Many
groups are opposed to the proposed free-trade pacts the White House
has been negotiating in secrecy. Environmentalists object to the
leaked language limiting US ability to legislate against climate
change. Labor unions are concerned the pacts would result in more
American jobs lost to overseas competition, as has happened with
previous free-trade deals. While the conservatives favor the free
trade aspects of the pacts, they have raised concerns over
immigration and certain provisions that could supersede US
sovereignty.
TAIHOA
to TPPA - application for urgent Treaty hearing
Wednesday,
24 June 2015, 5:15 pm
Press
Release: Joint Media Statement
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TAIHOA
to TPPA
24
June 2015
A
group of esteemed Māori leaders and academics, including Dr
Papaarangi Reid, Moana Jackson, Rikirangi Gage, Angeline Greensill,
Hone Harawira and Moana Maniapoto have filed a claim and application
for urgent hearing today in the Waitangi Tribunal.
The
claim alleges that the government’s actions in negotiating the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) are a breach of the Treaty of
Waitangi and its principles.
The
claimants say that the TPPA procedurally and substantively prejudices
them and undermines the guarantees to Māori under the Treaty to the
exercise of their tino rangatiratanga in governance decisions that
affect them.
The
meeting of ministers to make final decisions on the TPPA is imminent.
Adoption of the agreement by New Zealand will not require consent of
Parliament, there is no mandatory involvement of Māori nor any
obligation to assess the implications for the Treaty of Waitangi.
The
TPPA negotiations have been conducted in secret and our government
has not released the text.
Leaked
documents have revealed a number of provisions that will allow
multi-national corporations to sue governments for loss of
anticipated profits resulting from legislation or regulation for
protection of the environment, health and other legitimate government
concerns. This is of grave concern to the claimants given their
ongoing disputes over mining, forestry and water, and the failure of
the government to implement effective smoke free policies. These
cases are brought in Tribunals outside New Zealand which do not
follow existing case law and in which Māori have no right to
participate.
The
government has also failed to protect Māori intellectual property
rights in its negotiation of the TPPA; there is no consideration of
the Waitangi Tribunal’s report on the Wai 262 report, Ko Aotearoa
Tenei.
"Māori
have been struggling to protect our culture in the face of an IP
system that has never been a good fit for our people and culture. The
experience of having my name trademarked by a company in Germany
brought it home in a very personal way how much our language, culture
and music is being appropriated left, right and center by companies.
The WAI262 Claim reiterated that. There's been no movement by the
government to undo existing agreements or legislation that fail to
protect our culture. Yet the government wants to haul us all into a
hefty - and very secret - international agreement that will
disempower Māori even more? I am very concerned about this -
especially given the track record of the key player, the US."
says musician and documentary maker, Moana Maniapoto.
Māori
health will also be jeopardised by intellectual property rules
proposals to increase pharmaceutical monopoly rights and profits and
make medicines less affordable. Māori are the most vulnerable to
these changes.
The
next steps in the Waitangi Tribunal process will involve a response
by the Crown and other interested parties.
The people of the United States are being sold down the corporate swanny river with the Senate's agreement to allow Obama the power to fast-track the TTP trade negotiations.
ReplyDeleteClearly the Senate has been hoodwinked and conned by Obama, as they have allowed something to be passed that is a secret and therefore know hardly anything about it by the sheer fact that this and other vast trade documents to date are secret even to US politicians, just like the American people who know absolutely nothing about the TTP and its ramifications.
The projections are that 3 million more US jobs will go at least and probably many more over the years ahead. So apparently the Senate will allow Obama the power to fast-tract the TTIP also, where again projections by some leading economists is that another 3 million US jobs will go to low-cost labour economies when this trade deal is signed. - 'The TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) will be an Absolute Disaster for the People of the EU (European Union) and the People of America (USA) in the long-term - We simply have to Vote AGAINST this behind closed doors Transatlantic Trade deal before it is signed up and too late for the People to do anything about it' - http://worldinnovationfoundation.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-ttip-transatlantic-trade-and.html
Are our politicians so insane to sign up to these job destroying trade deals that only puts ever more money into the pockets of the top super-rich 1%, that according to Credit Suisse 'Global Wealth Report' control 50% of the world's total wealth, you bet they will and in the process, destroy the 90% of our future generations to come the means to have a meaningful life? Corporations now control the world order and our political elites are mere pawns in the whole global mechanism of systematic control and subservience of the many.